From Andrea Zanoni, Member of European Parliament to Mayor

￼Andrea Zanoni,
Member of the European Parliament
Bruxelles, 25th June 2013
￼Subject: deplorable catching of stray dogs in the Municipality of Mangalia during past week
Dear Mr Cristian Radu,
I am addressing you in my capacity as Member of the European Parliament and as Vice President of the parliamentary Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals with regards to the management of stray dogs in the Municipality of Mangalia.
I have just been informed that over the past week a number of stray dogs have been captured from the streets of Mangalia to be taken to an unknown destination, in view of the coming summer touristic season. It is likely that among the captured dogs there could be also some of the 364 animals sterilised during summer 2012 by Italian-Romanian association Save the Dogs, working in Romania for ten years and running the dog shelter of excellence "Footprints of Joy" in Cernavoda.
My concern is that stray dogs being caught in Mangalia these days are only moved somewhere else to be killed "away from prying eyes", disregarding Rumanian Law 9/2008 which forbids the killing of healthy animals.
I would also like to remind you that Rumania ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals of Strasbourg in 1987, which clearly identifies the appropriate approach to fight the phenomenon of strays, by avoiding physical elimination of animals for scientific as well as ethic reasons.
Moreover, I would like to stress that the European Parliament has approved Written Declaration 26/2011 on dog population management in the European Union, calling for measures such as dog control by means of sterilisation and vaccination and anti-cruelty laws.
Hence, I hereby ask you to urgently stop the catching of stray animals from the streets of Mangalia and to review dog management policies in your Municipality.
Thank you for your attention. I remain at your disposal for any further clarification you may need. Yours sincerely,
Andrea Zanoni
European Parliament
ASP 10 G 154 | Rue Wiertz, 60 | B - 1047 Bruxelles Tel: 0032 (0)2 284 56 04 | Fax: 0032 (0)2 284 96 04 e-mail: [email protected]